Stasi and football: revelations in the documentary film in Berlin!

Stasi and football: revelations in the documentary film in Berlin!

Next Tuesday, August 19, 2025, the Federal Archives in Berlin invites you to a filmic examination of GDR history. A documentary film entitled “Stasi-FC” is presented that sheds light on the influence of state security on football, especially BFC Dynamo. The event will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Stasi headquarters on the Campus for Democracy at Ruschestraße 103. Admission is free, which offers anyone interested the opportunity to immerse themselves in the dark chapters of the German division. The Federal Archives is looking forward to many visitors.

The documentary, directed by Arne Birkenstock, Daniel Gordon and Zakaria Rahmani, has a running time of 96 minutes. As part of this event there will be a preliminary discussion with Ariane Speckhahn from Doping Opfer Hilfe e.V. and with Prof. Dr. Daniela Münkel from the Federal Archives. The screening is followed by a conversation with the journalist and author Frank Willmann and the contemporary witness Dirk Schlegel, moderated by Robert Ide from Tagesspiegel.

The Stasi: A surveillance apparatus

The Stasi, officially known as the Ministry for State Security, was the central security organ of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1950 to 1990. Their motto “Shield and Sword of the Party” illustrates their role as a tool to control the population. It infiltrated almost every aspect of life and used various methods to suppress dissent. Wikipedia explains that the Stasi was notorious for its torture and intimidation tactics, while historians point to the extensive collection of information on citizens.

Around 250,000 people were arrested based on information from the Stasi. These repressive methods were in many ways similar to the techniques used by the KGB in the Soviet Union. With over 90,000 employees and an estimated 500,000 unofficial informants, the Stasi also infiltrated foreign embassies to obtain mysterious information. History hit describes the Stasi as one of the most feared secret police in history.

A look into the past

The film events and discussion rounds, such as the “Stasi-FC” event, opened doors for processing and remembrance. After the fall of the Wall on November 9, 1989 and the subsequent dissolution of the Stasi in 1990, numerous memorials and museums were established that commemorate the brutal activities of the Stasi. In 1991, citizens occupied the former Stasi headquarters to secure documents and counteract the threat of file extinction. The importance of the Stasi and its surveillance is still present today, as many citizens applied to access their personal files up until 2011.

Anyone interested in the history and aftermath of the GDR regime should not miss the opportunity to engage with the film depictions and the subsequent discussions. The event on August 19th is part of the “Campus Cinema” series, which deals with the history of the GDR and offers an important platform for dialogue.